International

• The international team

The international team

Jonathan Dale, Managing Director

Jonathan’s role includes the design and delivery of leadership development programmes and interventions that contribute to strategic educational initiatives. He works with governments and education organisations worldwide advising on sustainable approaches to school leadership development.

He was responsible for designing the National College membership scheme, which now has over 80,000 active members who can access a wide range of benefits, including innovative networking and leadership development opportunities. His work also includes leading the College’s approach to the strategic leadership of ICT (information, communications and technology) within the school sector.

He previously worked for GlaxoSmithKline, most recently within the Information Management and Analysis division. He has an MSc in Interactive Multimedia and has professional qualifications in programme management. He is a founding member of the 21st Century Learning Alliance.

John Turner, Associate, International Business Development

John has extensive experience working at the highest levels in education. A former teacher, John combines extensive classroom experience with advisory work involving training, advice and support for school leaders in a wide range of primary and secondary schools in the UK. He was an assistant director in a large local authority with responsibilities for school improvement and special needs provision across more than 300 schools.

He has also been a senior adviser to the British government helping to shape and deliver major government programmes and working with education directors and chief executives of over 30 local authorities. His engagements have included a range of strategic consultancy advice to government and local authorities in the areas of strategic planning, school improvement, children’s services, regeneration and capital programmes. He has been directly engaged in local authority interventions, audits and reviews including children’s safeguarding.

He is a highly experienced programme and project director, having had involvement in bidding and delivering more than 100 high profile projects in education. His work has involved working with partner organisations and clients at all levels to ensure effective contract delivery, cost control and risk management.

He has extensive experience of supporting the development of new types of schools such as academies, trust schools and federations. He has extensive experience of working with chief executives, senior civil servants and regional government directors, elected members, school leaders, directors of children’s services and their senior colleagues. John’s recent work on the leadership programmes for directors of children’s services has provided a deep insight into the challenges facing public sector leaders.  

His role in the College involves leading the business development strategy for the international business unit. This covers all the areas of the College’s leadership programmes and contracting with international clients and delivery partner organisations

Ray Tarleton, Associate, International School Leadership Development

Ray is developing National College products for overseas markets, including the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) for British international schools, an international leadership qualification for aspiring principals worldwide, and a ‘Developing Leaders’ in schools programme.

These opportunities build on the College’s partnership work with ministries of education, universities and private sector organisations which are seeking sustainable approaches to school leadership development. The College aims to offer unrivalled training and accreditation to those in leadership roles around the world.

A long-standing advocate of the College, Ray was the national co-ordinator of the College’s Leadership Network, established to represent headteachers from all phases interested in contributing to learning about leadership and drawing policy issues from professional practice. As regional director for the College in the South West, he provided support for leaders in schools and local authorities so that all had access to the high quality programmes that make the College so effective in the UK. An early advocate of system leadership, in which headteachers take responsibility for improvements across their region, he proposed and helped establish the formation of a national chairs’ network of elected headteachers from local associations.

A passionate believer in the importance of teacher research, he co-authored publications for the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and the College on reducing in-school variation (narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest performing subject departments), based on research projects carried out with schools across the country. His investigation into pupil interaction and classroom practice led to the publication of his book, ‘Learning and Talking: A Practical Guide to Oracy across the Curriculum’.

Ray began his career in international work: his first two years were as a teacher in rural boarding schools in Zambia. During the past 10 years, he has written and piloted leadership materials for the British Council in Brazil, Mexico, India and Thailand.

As principal of a large 11-18 Devon secondary school, Ray led its development as one of the first specialist sports colleges in England and as a training school, a pathfinder trust school, a designated school of creativity, and a research-engaged school (NFER).  In 2010, Ofsted judged it to be "an outstanding college with an ethos of high aspiration and success for all, underpinned by a dynamic culture of learning and continuous improvement, superb relationships and excellent behaviour". The principal was described as "outstanding in his leadership and vision".

As a headteacher, Ray was an editorial panellist for the weekly educational newspaper, Sec Ed. He was also a regular contributor to the Times Educational Supplement, writing for their comment and opinion section. His weekly review column as their television critic allowed him to relax whilst pretending to be working.

Sylvia Campbell, Leadership Development Products and Sales Senior Manager

Sylvia’s areas of responsibility include development of school leadership products for the international market, development and implementation of marketing and sales strategies as well as stakeholder management across all sectors internationally.

During her time at the College, she has also contract managed and supported a team of schools associates in the central region, ensuring first class delivery of leadership learning to school leaders throughout the West Midlands, East Midlands and East of England. She also led the Leaders in International Development Programme on behalf of the College.

Prior to joining the College, Sylvia was operations director of Skill Force, a national education charity, and head of market development for the Youth Hostel Association for England and Wales. Sylvia started her career in education as a teacher of modern foreign languages.

David Charlton, Senior Manager, International Contract Delivery

David is responsible for ensuring significant international activity is delivered to time, quality and cost.

David is an experienced project manager who specialises in delivery of education programmes and international service projects. During his time at the National College, David has led a range of programmes including leadership for closing the gap, leadership of the new secondary curriculum, and the International Leadership Learning Programme. David is a Prince2 Practitioner.

David has experience of working across global markets and has worked with clients from a range of countries, including ministry officials, senior policy advisers and directors of international educational establishments.